You know the electric vehicle era has arrived when even oil execs are giving up their gas-powered cars for battery-powered cars. Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden just announced that his next car will be an electric Mercedes-Benz S550e. Beurden will be ditching his diesel car when he purchases the plug-in hybrid this September. When Beurden goes electric, he will be joining Chief Financial Officer Jessica Uhl, who already drives a BMW i3. “The whole move to electrify the economy, electrify mobility in places like northwest Europe, in the U.S., even in China, is a good thing,” Van Beurden said on Bloomberg TV. “We need to be at a much higher degree of electric vehicle penetration — or hydrogen vehicles or gas vehicles — if we want to stay within the 2-degrees Celsius outcome.” Related: Electric cars could reach cost parity with conventional cars by next year Shell is moving into the EV market, announcing in February that it will start installing chargers at its gas stations this year. Britain and the Netherlands are the first two countries that will see electric vehicle chargers at Shell gas stations with the battery charging infrastructure eventually being deployed at all of the 25,000 Shell-branded gas stations in the world. Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that a third of the world’s cars will be plug-in by 2040, the same year that both Britain and France plan to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars. Via Autoblog Image via Flickr

Comments Off on Honolulu is the first US city to ban using your phone while crossing the street

Most people think they can walk and text, but statistics prove otherwise. Between 2015 and 2016, for instance, there was a 10 percent spike in pedestrian fatalities in the United States, likely due to the number of people walking while distracted by their phones. It’s because of this that Honolulu, Hawaii, recently passed legislation that targets texters and other “smartphone zombies” as they step off the curb. On Thursday, Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed the “Distracted Walking Law” which is the first law of its type to be passed in the U.S. Reuters reports that it passed 7-2 earlier this month by the city council. Said Caldwell, “We hold the unfortunate distinction of being a major city with more pedestrians being hit in crosswalks, particularly our seniors, than almost any other city in the country .” The law will go into effect on October 25, at which time the Honolulu Police Department will begin handing out fines. First-time offenders will receive a $15-$35 fine, second time violates within the same year will be fined $35-$75, and those who are caught a third time will be charged $75-$99. People making calls for emergency services are exempt from the ban. According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser , police will implement a three-month training and warning period until the law goes into effect. Related: This Clothing Staple Lets You Make Simple Gestures to Send a Text Maureen Vogel, a spokeswoman for the council, applauded the initiative. She said during a phone interview, “ Cell phones are not just pervading our roadways but pervading our sidewalks too.” Opponents, on the other hand, argue that it “infringes on personal freedom and amounts to government overreach.” Nonetheless, it is expected that the law will result in improved public safety — and that is applaudable. Via Reuters Images via Deposit Photos and Pixabay

Comments Off on Tesla’s Gigafactory is getting a $350 million upgrade to build Model 3 parts

Tesla ‘s massive Gigafactory near Sparks, Nevada is expanding weeks after kicking off production of lithium-ion batteries . The electric carmaker and clean energy storage company is planning to invest $350 million in a project to manufacture electric motors and gearboxes for the Model 3 — Tesla’s first affordable EV, which is priced at $35,000 before tax incentives and is expected to hit the assembly line this year. Tesla will hire an additional 550 people for the project on top of the 6,500 workers the company has already committed to employing at the Gigafactory. The expansion news was revealed by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval during his State of the State address on Tuesday and confirmed by Tesla. Steve Hill, director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, told the newspaper the Nevada Appeal that he expects Tesla will eventually have 10,000 workers at the site, which when completed will be the biggest building in the world with a footprint of 10 million square feet. According to Tesla, the Gigafactory will indirectly create another 20,000 to 30,000 jobs in the surrounding area. Related: Tesla to power Gigafactory with world’s largest solar rooftop installation Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s goal is to make 500,000 mostly Model 3 electric cars by the end of 2018 and one million EVs by 2020. The cars are assembled at the company’s Fremont, California factory. The city recently approved a major expansion of the facility that includes 11 new buildings covering 4.6 million square feet of manufacturing space. The city anticipates that the factory expansion will increase employment by 3,100 workers. Tesla is also planning to build a second gigafactory in Europe, with the location still to be announced. Gigafactory 2 will manufacture both lithium-ion batteries and electric cars. + Tesla Via CNBC Images via Tesla , Wikimedia

Comments Off on Report claims VW is spending $15.5B to build a giant battery factory

Volkswagen is reportedly preparing to make a major investment in electric car technology and hopefully buy some positive press as well. Less than a year after its enormous emissions scandal and the massive recall that followed, the German car company may spend up to $15.5 billion to build a manufacturing plant for electric car batteries . The move would support the company’s lofty goal to sell one million electric and hybrid vehicles annually by 2025. The massive battery factory isn’t a done deal, though. Financial Review, quoting a report in Germany’s Handelsblatt newspaper, reported that VW’s CEO Matthias Müller, who stepped into the role after former chief executive resigned amid last year’s scandal, will unveil plans at the company’s supervisory board meeting next month. A VW spokesperson wouldn’t confirm the report, calling it “speculation.” Related: Evidence suggests VW deliberately deceived US regulators in emissions scandal Industry experts agree that a giant battery manufacturing plant for the car company would make sense, considering VW’s aim to become a global leader in mass market electric cars. Building a battery factory seems like a natural progression in the company’s portfolio, building on previous investments the company has made to support electric vehicles, including $10 million in charging infrastructure in the United States. VW has a long way to go to reach its goals, though, given that they sold just 67,000 electric vehicles last year around the world, most of which were hybrid models. Via GTM Images via Volkswagen

Comments Off on Dutch politicians want to ban all polluting cars by 2025

It’s been an exhilarating year for green cars . From new hydrogen vehicle records to the Tesla Model 3 unveiling , a sustainable automobile future seems closer than ever. Building on the excitement, Dutch politicians recently proposed a bold plan to ban all gas- and diesel-powered cars by 2025. Read the rest of Dutch politicians want to ban all polluting cars by 2025

Comments Off on We test drove the new 2016 Chevrolet Volt – and here’s the scoop

Five years ago Chevrolet launched the Volt – a groundbreaking vehicle that changed the trajectory of electric cars and went on to become the top selling plug-in hybrid car of all time. Fast forward to today and Chevrolet has rebuilt the new 2016 Volt from the ground up with an all-new electric powertrain, a driving range of 400 miles, a sportier exterior, and a quieter interior. The second generation 2016 Chevy Volt is cuter, faster, lighter, less expensive and more efficient – and we recently had a chance to take it out for test drive around the San Francisco Bay Area. Read on for our impressions of this game-changing electric car . Read the rest of We test drove the new 2016 Chevrolet Volt – and here’s the scoop

Comments Off on Reshtki turns unwanted “trash” into comfortable and stylish urban furniture

Where some may only see trash, Reshtki sees opportunity. Founded by Sara Podwysocka and Maria Ostrowska, the Polish design studio specializes in breathing new life into found materials . In their latest project, Reshtki old traction poles, leftover wood, and PCV pipe into new benches and tables. The comfortable and stylish urban furniture was created for a neighborhood park in Gda?sk. + Reshtki The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat ? Send us a tip by following this link . Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

Comments Off on Honda’s new $210 million paint facility will cut 18 percent of CO2 emissions

A few minutes northwest of Columbus, Ohio, past the suburban subdivisions and sprawling farmland, sits Honda ’s first and largest auto plant in North America. There, the company will soon break ground on one of the single biggest initiatives the car maker is taking to reduce its overall environmental impact. The Marysville Auto Plant (MAP) will be renovated to add a $210 million painting facility for select Acura models, so that a new paint process can be implemented to cut CO2 emissions by 18 percent, on top of saving untold quantities of water and waste. With this investment, Honda will move closer to its global goals for reducing GHG emissions up to 90 percent based on per unit sales. Read the rest of Honda’s new $210 million paint facility will cut 18 percent of CO2 emissions

After years of making us wait, Tesla is finally about to launch the Model X – the company’s very first SUV – at a live event in Fremont, California. Starting at 8pm PT tonight, Tesla will be live streaming the big reveal and you can watch it all unfold right here. Not only will you be able to get a look at the much-anticipated all-electric vehicle, and witness the very first Model X deliveries to customers, but CEO Elon Musk never disappoints during his speeches, so you definitely won’t want to miss this. + Tesla